


all cats are pink in the dark

by your_bespoke_psychopath



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, and a pink cat, yes I do have a thing for the Doctor with animals sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-13
Updated: 2013-08-13
Packaged: 2017-12-23 09:52:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/924940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_bespoke_psychopath/pseuds/your_bespoke_psychopath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>‘Don’t take the cat,’ someone says in an amused tone. The voice is low but pleasant and definitely female. ‘It’ll pee on the floor.’</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [agelessdaughter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agelessdaughter/gifts).



It’s a chilly March evening and he’s in New York. It’s what... 1938? but the city is nearly as busy at it is in the 21st century. He likes this place, it’s loud and full of life. No one notices him here. And he tries his best not to notice anyone or anything. It works like a charm. He can lose himself in the constant bustle of traffic and the endless noise, in the bright lights and crowd and he can forget

_the burning city and cries of his people, the red blazing fire, the destroyed buildings and broken lives, screams for help and the pleas, pleas directed at him: no, don’t do this, you can’t, don’t, no-_

He shakes his head and closes the door in his head. There’s no point in going there, not now, not ever. It’s done. He pulls his jacket a little tighter against his body – it’s early March and it’s a bit windy and he probably should’ve worn something warmer – and turns into the street when he parked the TARDIS. It’s a small and dark alley, near to some small park that is now empty of people. He’s about to open the door to his ship when something stumbles over his shoes. He looks down and sees a small kitten, walking in circles between the TARDIS and his legs.

‘What are you doing here?’ he asks picking the cat up. ‘Are you lost?’

The kitten meows softly in response. It’s skinny and a bit dirty, it’s black fur matted with dirt and mud.

‘You could come with me, you know,’ he continues and scratches the kitten on the head. It meows again and nuzzles its head into his hand. ‘I’m sure there’s some milk in the fridge.’

He’s about to open the door and get in – he’s taking the kitten, thank you very much – when someone behind him clears their throat.

‘Don’t take the cat,’ someone says in an amused tone. The voice is low but pleasant and definitely female. ‘It’ll pee on the floor.’

‘Well, that’s what cats do, don’t they,’ he responds as he turns around. ‘Besides, maybe he won’t do it.’

‘It’s her,’ the woman in front of him says. He cannot see her features, because she’s standing outside the small ring of light that a street lamp casts on the pavement. He can only make out that she’s wearing a trench coat and a hat that covers half of her face in shadow. What he can see though is hair. A lot of it. It’s curly and wild, it falls down her shoulders and he wonders briefly how on earth the hat stays there.

‘Oh, is it?’ he snorts. ‘How do you know that?’

‘I know a lot of things,’ she says and he thinks she’s laughing at him. He doesn’t like that.

‘Great for you,’ he barks out and turns around to go inside the TARDIS. An annoying woman is the last thing he needs on such a nice evening.

‘She’ll also turn pink after two days,’ the woman says with a sigh. ‘Really, just leave her here. She’ll be fine.’

‘Pink? Are you stupid? Cats don’t just turn pink,’ he turns around to face her again. She must be mad to suggest something like that. ‘Who are you anyway? And what are you doing here?’

‘I’m watching the angels,’ she responds and he’s so taken aback by her answer that he forgets that she didn’t answer his first question.

‘Oh? Angels? You mean the heavenly creatures dressed in white gowns and with wings? Haven’t seen them around here,’ he sneers a little and tightens his grip on the kitten in his hands. It meows in alarm and he runs a calming hand over its fur.

‘Maybe you’re not looking carefully enough,’ she says and there it is again – this small, all-knowing smirk. ‘Leave the cat here.’

‘No!’ he cradles the kitten closer to his chest. ‘It’s none of your business what I do with it. Now go away. I didn’t invite you here.’

‘So young and so rude,’ she sighs. ‘You really should be more polite, you know. It won’t hurt you.’

‘Well, first: I am very polite, and second: I am not young. Now, what did I say about going away?’

‘But you are so very young,’ she says and this time he detects a hint of sadness in her voice.

‘Listen,’ he takes a step towards her – he wants to make her back away or at least see her face, but she doesn’t move even an inch, neither in his direction or in the direction of the light behind her. ‘I don’t know who you are or why are you here, but I want you to go. And hasn’t anyone told you not to talk with strangers?’

‘Oh sweetie, you’re not the one who’s a stranger here, trust me,’ she says with a brief laugh. ‘But okay, okay: I am going,’ she takes a few steps back. ‘See? Going.’

He looks at her retreating form and wait until she’s at the end of the alley before he returns to the TARDIS door.

‘You see what I have to put up with?’ he says to the kitten. ‘Insane people who talk a lot, without any sense. It’s good that you don’t talk, isn’t it?’ It meows loudly. ‘Okay, so you do talk, yes, I get it. But not like people do, right? What? You think that the lady was nice? Well, I think she was simply annoying. And she had crazy hair. Person with hair like that can be only trouble, trust me. No, I am not saying it only because I don’t have hair. I used to have hair like hers, you know? It was a long time ago. Huh? Yes, we can come in now. I promised you milk, didn’t I?’

He opens the door and is just about to stop in into the warmth of the TARDIS, when he hears her voice again.

‘Once you start talking to the cat and quit the brooding phase,’ she shouts, ‘I think that London is a nice place to visit. March, 2005. It’s a nice month, trust me.’

Did she just?

He gently puts the cat on the floor and runs after her. How did she know something like that? Who’s she? And most importantly – where did she go?

The streets are empty – nearly empty, there are a few people out there, rushing to their homes – but he can’t see anywhere a trench coat and riotous curls. He looks around – there’s the park and he spots a statue of an angel, maybe she’s there – but once again nothing. His shoulders drop a little and he feels a pang of regret. Maybe if he hadn’t been so... brusque with her, she wouldn’t have left so quickly.

But then again, he thinks to himself when he goes back to the TARDIS, what possible could she know? Maybe it was just some crazy woman, saying random things. That must be it.

He closes the door behind him and steps right into a puddle on the floor. The kitten sits by it, looking at him with pleading and innocent eyes.

‘Okay, we can take care of it later,’ he sighs and picks the stray up. ‘Now – milk!’

_______

When two days later the kitten turns bright pink, he enters the coordinates for London, 2005. Who knows, maybe she was right about this one as well.


	2. Chapter 2

There are many reasons why she shouldn’t be here. Reason #1: it’s – _technically_ -middle of the week and she’s supposed to be studying to an exam she has – _technically_ \- in two days. She says ‘technically’, because she made a short trip to another planet in a completely different time and that puts everything in perspective. It also bring her to reason #2 why she shouldn’t be here: time travel is banned at the Luna University. Every student who is caught doing that is not only expelled, but also put in front of a jury. A jury that would ask her how she managed to get her hands on a vortex manipulator that is currently on her wrist. The vortex manipulator that brings her reasons #3 and #4 why she should have stayed at home. Reason #3: vortex manipulators are banned in the 51 st century and travelling by them is forbidden and heavily prosecuted. And if you add to this the fact that she might’ve acquired the device in a less than legal way  (reason #4) she really should have stayed in the uni library and revise for the exam.

But the thing is: she’s dreadfully bored. While she loves studying and archaeology is her passion, she’s far brighter than her fellow students. It’s not bragging, it’s a fact. Maybe it’s due to her genes and the time vortex running through her veins, but she gets everything much quicker than anyone else in her class. Hell, sometimes she thinks she knows more than some of her professors. She feels the history rather than learns about it. Sometimes it feels like it’s all already in her head, facts chasing one another, events connecting and starting a reaction. She only has to focus and all the answers come to her. Of course she’s bored. She’s bored and restless, and she’s resourceful. And here she is: in the 44th century, dressed in a short and sparkly dress, in the back of the biggest club on Zahru. She straightens her dress a little and runs fingers through her hair, trying to tame it – an impossible task - and she’s about to make her way towards the queue to the club, when something furry rubs against her bare leg. She tries her best not to yelp or shake her leg too violently – she’s done some research about this planet and she knows that one of the most common animals here are giant spiders. Silently praying that it’s not the case and that she doesn’t have one of these bloody  things on her leg, she slowly looks down and lets out a quiet gasp when she sees a small kitten rubbing its head against her ankle. It looks perfectly normal and innocent - definitely not spidery – except for the fact that it’s bright pink.

‘Hello, sweetie,’ she says kneeling down. ‘What are you doing here?’

The kitten purrs in response and gently pats her hand with its little paw.

‘Oh, you’re quite cute, aren’t you?’ she smiles a little and starts petting the soft pink fur. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Here you are! I’ve been looking for you,’ a deep voice with a thick accent says. Her head shoots up and she looks to see a tall, dark figure standing next to her. She takes the kitten in her hands and slowly stands up. In her heels she’s the same height as the man who’s glaring at her and the cat in her hands. He has short hair, a prominent nose, great cheekbones – really great cheekbones, she thinks – and big ears. He is definitely the rugged and handsome type – all sharp and strong lines and there’s the air of danger surrounding him that makes her hearts beat faster.

‘We haven’t even met yet and you’re already looking for me. How charming of you,’ she says looking at him from under her lashes. Who knows? Maybe she found a new thing to entertain herself with.

‘I was talking to the cat,’ the stranger huffs impatiently. ‘Now, give it back.’

‘Oh, I see. You go straight for the pussy, don’t you?’ she teases while cradling the kitten a bit closer to her chest.

‘Fantastic, you’re a funny one,’ the man says rolling his eyes. ‘Where did you get all the jokes? Do you hide them in your hair?’

‘At least I have hair,’ she snaps back. ‘And normally sized ears.’

‘Oi! I have perfectly normal ears,’ the man says through gritted teeth and she tries to hide her smirk in the kitten’s fur. ‘Now. The cat. Give it to me.’

‘No,’ she says stubbornly.

‘No? No? I don’t have time for this. Just give me the cat,’ he moves his hands to take the kitten from her, but she quickly steps back.

‘How am I supposed to know that it’s your cat? It doesn’t have a collar or anything,’ she shrugs. ‘Besides, it came to me.’

‘She,’ he says and when she quirks her eyebrow, he sighs and repeats. ‘She. It’s her.’

‘Is that why she’s pink?’ she asks amused. ‘Because if you’ve gone this far, you can also buy her a diamond collar. You know what they say about girls and diamonds.’

‘She just became pink!’ he responds with another huff. ‘Now, if you’re done with this interrogation and your brilliant advice: give me my cat back.’

‘Cats don’t just become pink, don’t be silly’ she says pretending she didn’t hear his demand. ‘You had to do something. Besides I told you – it came to me. It likes me,’ and as if to confirm her words, the kitten starts licking her hand. ‘See?’

‘She must be poor at judging people, because I don’t like you,’ the man says through clenched teeth. ‘You are annoying and impolite and _you. are. a. cat. thief_ ,’ he barks out. Somehow during their discussion they moved and now they’re basically nose to nose, both breathing heavily and neither of them willing to back off.

‘Look who’s talking,’ she hisses. ‘Maybe if you spend less time stroking the cat and more time stroking something else, you’d be a lot nicer to people. Ever considered that?’

He seems a bit taken aback by her words and the innuendo, but he recovers quickly.

‘And maybe if you weren’t so impolite, you wouldn’t have to steal cats to get some company.’

‘You know what? Take that cat,’ she says, pushing the kitten into his hands. ‘I have better things to do than stand in an alley with a dumbo like you.’

‘Well, I have better things to do than argue with a frizz ball like you,’ he spits back and turns around. He starts walking away and she can feel the tension leaving her body.

‘Now, we’re free of the rude lady,’ she can hear him say and she rolls her eyes. She wishes she had something to throw at him. She bets she could hit one of his ears without any problem. ‘What? No, she wasn’t nice. And no. We haven’t met her earlier,’ wait. Is he talking to the cat? Why does all the nice looking men she meets are either supposed to be killed by her or are crazy? ‘We haven’t. And come on, we have places to be. London, March 2005. How does this sound? Yes. They do have a milk there.’

What did he say? London? 2005? He’s a time traveler as well? She quickly follows him towards the end of the alley – as quickly as her heels let her. She loses him briefly from her sight – he turned right into another small street, and she runs there, cursing herself for choosing these shoes. She just nears the corner where he disappeared, where she hears the oh so familiar noise.

_Vworp vworp._

No. It can’t be.

It just can’t be.

She runs a bit quicker, her heels clicking on the pavement, but when she runs into the alley, she can only see a faint and disappearing outline of the TARDIS.

One of her heels catches in the crack of the pavement and she falls down, her knees colliding painfully with the cold concrete. But she doesn’t care about pain: she just met him. Another him, younger him, the one who doesn’t know her. She has another face of his to remember. Another encounter to write about in her diary. And another date to check: what was it? March and London, 2005? Let’s see what the university’s library has to say about it.

__________

She appears in her bedroom a few seconds later, planning on quickly changing her clothes and sneaking to the library even though it’s the middle of the night. She looks at her bed and lets out a surprised gasp: there’s a small box standing there. The box wobbles a bit and it lets out a quiet ‘meow’. She opens it quickly and is greeted with a sight of a pink kitten. The same kitten she held in her hands just a few minutes ago. Only now, the kitten is wearing a red bow tie and there’s also a small card attached to its neck. It’s written in the Doctor’s – her Doctor’s – messy handwriting.

It says: ‘ _Her name is Cleo and she thinks the bow tie is cool._ ’


End file.
